Losing backyard without consultation

A Hampstead resident is upset that he was given no chance to consult on a new Kāinga Ora housing project before they took nearly half of his backyard.

George Whyte has lived in his Kāinga Ora home for seven years without issues, but that changed when Whyte received a letter notifying of upcoming construction that would take 40 per cent of his backyard.

“At the time I had Covid, so when the Kāinga Ora representative came to my house and told me to sign on the dotted line I probably wasn’t thinking clearly,” Whyte said.

“I’m not sure what would have happened if I didn’t sign.”

Kāinga Ora regional director for Canterbury Liz Krause could not confirm this for privacy reasons, but said health and safety protocols are in place for all customer visits, including rescheduling appointments if a customer has Covid-19.

Whyte is concerned his chickens will no longer have the right sized backyard they need. He raises them for shows around New Zealand.

“I’ve had to move them off site while they work on the properties, but I’m concerned when they come back there won’t be enough room for them to run.”

Krause said customers are consulted with any upcoming changes or work.

“We are mindful of the impact this work may have on our customers and neighbours. Where a property is earmarked for redevelopment, we prioritise telling our customers about any proposed plans early in the process.

“We work with customers and neighbours, including several face-to-face visits with our customers, over a number of months as our plans progress.”

Krause said there was a high demand for housing in Ashburton and adding to existing properties is one of the solutions being used.

“One of the ways we are in- creasing the number of homes available for people in need in Ashburton is by building additional homes on our sites where there are existing homes.

“We are also removing homes that are at the end of their life, and replacing them with more modern, good quality homes on the same sites,” Krause said.

In total Kāinga Ora are planning to build 12 new homes across a number of sites in Ashburton.

This includes eight one-bedroom homes and four two-bedroom homes, two of which will be built on land in Adams Street and Trevors Road where there are existing homes.

These are expected to be completed in 2023.